Tercio of Fuenclara
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| Country | Spanish Empire |
|---|---|
| Engagements |
The Tercio of Fuenclara was a Spanish tercio that formed part of Spain's Army of Flanders based in the Spanish Netherlands between the 16th and 18th centuries.
Background
[edit]Most tercios were named according to the place where they were raised or first deployed: Tercio de Sicilia, de Lombardía, de Nápoles (Tercio of Sicily, of Lombardy, of Naples, to name but the three original units created by Charles V's 1534 decree) and so on. Other tercios were named, or better known for their commanding officer (maestre de campo), such as the Tercio de Fuenclara for the Count of Fuenclara, although confusion sometimes arose due to mention being made of the commanding officer rather than the unit he led, especially if the command changed hands. Other tercios were named by their main function, such as Galeras or the Tercio Viejo del Mar de Nápoles, created in 1537 by Charles V,[1] and forerunner of the Tercio de Armada del Mar Océano (Tercio de Armada), created by Philip II in 1566, itself the forerunner of Spain's modern-day Marine Corps.[2]
Actions
[edit]Thirty Years' War
[edit]One of the half-dozen or so tercios, under Diego Felípez de Guzmán, 1st Marquis of Leganés and Francisco Antonio Camassa,[3] at the battle, the unit saw action at the Battle of Nördlingen (1634)[4] with 1,450 troops, of which 200 musketeers, under the tercio's sargento mayor, Francisco de Escobar,[5] distinguished themselves in holding the key position of the Allbuch hill, resisting numerous attacks.[5]
Following the Crossing of the Somme, in 1636, the tercio also took part in investing the important fortress of Corbie, which caused panic among the population of Paris.
In 1637, the unit also garrisoned Het Steen, the fortress at Antwerp.[6]
Due to the absence of the Count of Fuenclara, who was ill at Antwerp,[7] the unit's sargento mayor, Baltasar Mercader,[8] led the unit at the Siege of Fuenterrabía (1638).
Eighty Years' War
[edit]At the Battle of Kallo (1638), the Count of Fuenclara led fifteen companies of his tercio.[6]
In 1645, the Count of Fuenclara's tercio, stationed at Dunkirk, saw action against French troops who had taken a nearby village.[9]
Officers and other ranks mentioned in the historiography
[edit]Maestres de campo
[edit]Sargentos mayores
[edit]- Baltasar Mercader[8]
- Francisco de Escobar[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "The oldest Marine Corps in the world". defensa.com. Accessed 16 April 2025.
- ^ Díez Cámara, Octavio (2024). "Official publication on the 'Tercio de Armada' Brigade of the Marine Infantry". defensa.com. Accessed 16 April 2025.
- ^ De Luca, Denis (2012). Jesuits and Fortifications: The Contribution of the Jesuits to Military Architecture in the Baroque Age, pp. 144 (footnote 189), 145. Brill. Google Books. Accessed 16 April 2025.
- ^ Hrncirik, Pavel. Spanier auf dem Albuch, Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Schlacht bei Nördlingen im Jahre 1634. ISBN 978-3-8322-6120-7
- ^ a b c d (in Spanish). Francisco, José María de; M.ª de la Almudena Serrano (2004). "El Capitán Alonso de Noguerol: Un expediente personal de archivo (1622-1634)...". IN: Revista General de Información y Documentación, 14, núm. 1 21-65, pp. 43 (footnote 69), 44. Revistas Científicas Complutenses. Accessed 16 April 2025.
- ^ a b (in Spanish). Colección de libros españoles raros ó curiosos, Volume 14, pp. 148, 179. J. Perales y Martinez (1880). Google Books. Accessed 16 April 2025.
- ^ (in Spanish). Palafox y Mendoza, Juan de (1639). Sitio y socoro de Fuenterabia y sucessos del ano de 1638, pp. 291–291. Google Books. Accessed 16 April 2025.
- ^ a b c (in Spanish). Sánchez Martín, Juan Luís. "Baltasar Mercader y Carroz". Historia Hispánica. Real Academia de la Historia. Accessed 16 April 2025.
- ^ (in Spanish). Real Academia de la Historia (1863). Memorial histórico español .... que publica la Real Academia de la Historia, Volumes 17-18, p. 84. Google Books. Accessed 16 April 2025.
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